[dragonphoto]

I often wondered what entering into the narrow gate and following the narrow path meant...it was not until a retired minister and I had a chance to talk that I started to understand. It was one of the coldest nights in the town that I live in and I was asked to volunteer at the cold night shelter...at first I thought to myself I would love to but I have to work tomorrow. However, as the day wore on I started to think about some things and thought about what some others had said about their time at the shelter helping out. I prayed about it for a night and thought to myself "This is something I would want for someone else to do for me." I called the woman from our church and told her I would be there, she told me I only needed to stay till midnight. When I got to the shelter most of the men had already been checked in so the only thing I had to do was to help them out if they needed something. Around ten we shut off the lights...and that is when my journey started.

I have often heard people from my church talk about their time volunteering at the cold night shelter and how they learned a lot from the men there...so that night I sat with my ears open and my mouth closed. Nothing really came from any of the men here...I started to wonder if I was truly meant to be here that night. As the night wore on the other volunteers had less and less to talk about. That is when I decided to talk to the retired minister.

I told him about all the things I had been through in the past four months and how I was really lost sometimes. He looked at me and said, "I would like to quote Matthew 7:13-14, "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." This is what you should remember in your day to day life." I sat and thought about this and wondered what the gate and path would look like...or was it just a metaphor? I struggled with this for the rest of the night and the next thing I knew it was morning...

Over the next month I thought about this narrow gate and the narrow path...it was not until this morning when I woke up I really understood what it meant. Please allow me to explain my thoughts.

The broad gate is the gate to the broad path, even though that path looks easy it is filled with temptation...every day we are tempted to follow that broad path. With that broad path we never really know where the edges of the path are and it is easy for us to lose sight of the path. Every time we stray from the path we lose sight of God.

The narrow gate is the the gate to the narrow path, this path is rocky and dark at times. However, God only gives us what we can handle...he does not make this path a struggle, it is a learning path towards Him. We stumble on this path and sometimes we falter, but we can see the edges of the path and we dare not walk off into sin.

So...the path I follow is a narrow path, now this path is leading me to my God through fixing myself...I have stumbled and I have faltered, but I have never lost sight nor faith. I look to the left and see depression, I look to the right and see anger...the only thing I can do is keep walking stepping over these rocks and vines knowing that God is there for me. With His light at my feet to light my path, and His hand holding me so that I will not fall.

The path may seem dark, cold, rocky and steep at times, but it is there to help us learn...

[nowheretorun]

"i know you know the road is longer than it seems
it winds along the rocky coast
then dumping in the sea
i know you know the road is paved with destiny
the only gold we hold is hope
if we believe."

take care Dragon.... sending prayers...

Beautiful revelation Dragonphoto. I so relate to the depression on one side the anger on the other and a determination to stubble down the middle to stay engaged in the journey and make it through even the narrow maze of life.

Thanks for share dragon....

[SeptemberMorn]

Amen!

[sabby]

Would your path and gate look something like this maybe?